Technology Solutions for Human Services

In the field of human services, there can be many obstacles to overcome when working with clients. Obstacles can be seen in all phases of human services in the areas of providing services, planning programs, and funding difficulties, but with the help of proper technology, some barriers can be overcome. Some of the challenges in providing services to the aging population are: the growing population of elderly individuals needing help and the physical and mental decline of the aging individual. This paper will attempt to identify some technological applications that can be used to bypass or overcome these hurdles.

The baby boomers, those individuals born between 1946 and 1964 (US Census Bureau) are a constantly growing number of individuals needing services from the human services profession. As the number grows every day, human service providers are seeing the need for more technology to help the aging population live with quality and dignity. A common fact is that as people age, they will have loss of cognition and physical disabilities. Another obstacle for the elderly and human services workers to overcome is that the aging individual is not as proficient in the new technologies of the current day.

Human services workers are finding that he or she must find ways to help seniors with the aid of technologies such as: computers programs that include geographic information systems (GIS) that will help locate seniors that are in need of assistance in rural areas. As the American Association of Homes & Services for the Aging (2009) states on their website,Current research shows that technology has the potential to play a critical role in launching anew model of geriatric care that allows older people to live independently for as long aspossible, supports family caregivers in the important work they do and gives health careproviders the tools they need to deliver high-quality care at a reasonable cost.